


The Mystery of Norman Polk

by BornOfFire



Series: The Caged (Saudade AU Stories) [3]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Everyone in this story is young, Gen, Henry and Sammy are good friends with Norman, Hidden Power, I Wrote This For Fun, I may get some things wrong because I have a bad memory, I'll add more tags later, Norman has a sister, Norman is a great older brother xD, Panic attack in the 3rd chapter, Saudade AU, Saudade AU (Spinoff), Slow Burn, This is going to get pretty sad, This story is about Norman Polk and how he eventually becomes the Projectionist, This story is part of my AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 13:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12682530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BornOfFire/pseuds/BornOfFire
Summary: This story is about Norman Polk, a quiet and intelligent young man. With a loving sister, and good friends.His happiness, ended quickly; once Joey's behaviour became more and more erratic. Thus leading to the creation of the odd ink machine.Not long after that, several people began to disappear; he didn't exactly know the people who had disappeared, but nonetheless he felt like investigating.It started with a premonition.This is his story.Also once again I'm sorry if this is stupid, I don't know why I write this stuff. I just get an idea and then write without really thinking things through..





	1. The Premonition.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Was it really just.. a dream?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is part of my AU Saudade.

It was always dark in level 14. The only source of light, came from several projectors scattered around a maze. It was the home of the Projectionist, a being that wandered the small hallways of the maze endlessly. 

It had no sense of time, feeling like it had been trapped in the studio since forever. It stumbled around slightly due to the weight of the projector, which had seemingly fused to its body. 

The Projectionist couldn't remember how this happened, it could only remember the feeling. Excruciating pain, in its neck and head; its back felt as though something was being pierced into it, and a crushing pain in its left shoulder. It felt as though someone had tried to stuff an object into a gaping wound.

The pain; was with The Projectionist, _always_. However, over time the pain became more bearable. The pain decreased into an uncomfortable feeling, almost as if it were a paper cut; but in a sad reality, The Projectionist's fate was in no way comparable.

It didn't always used to be this.. unemotional beast, that slaughtered everything in sight. Back when the dulled pain was at its worst; it would silently plead and scream. Except it had no real voice. The closest it could get to speaking was just an inhuman shriek.

In the beginning; the pain was so intolerable to the point where it forced what was left of its humanity, to 'sleep'; things couldn't hurt _him_ when _he's_ 'sleeping'..

If letting its humanity slumber, meant that it'll be just another lost soul; in the studio. A creature with an endless bloodlust, and no thoughts of its own; then that's what it will have to do. It was willing to do anything to make the pain go away. 

Becoming mindless.. was the only way to dull the pain it was forced to endure.

\--------------------------------------------- 

The Projectionist had a bit of a habit of collecting certain things, whether this was because of its insanity; or something it did when it was still human, was completely unknown. Sometimes when members of the Butcher gang would show up, he'd leave the bodies where they had fallen. It was like some sort of gruesome decoration. 

One day however, it found something new. _Different_ , it was a small photograph. 

There were two people in it, a little girl and a young man. Both had dark hair, dark eyes, and a pale complexion. The young man was smiling slightly, he was wearing a newsboy cap. The little girl grinned, hugging the young man. She had pigtails and ribbons in her hair. They looked so _familiar_.. 

As it held the dusty photograph in its inky hands, the dull pain was growing more noticeable; _he_ was starting to wake up. Inky hands were shaking, The Projectionist let out several small shrieks; as he was finally conscious enough to recognize the people in the photograph. 

It was.. _himself_ , Norman Polk and his younger sister Wendy Polk. 

The Projectionist traced the photograph, looking at his old self; he then raised his other hand, feeling his projector.. this just felt so _wrong_! It barely noticed the ink dripping from its lens, acting as tears. 

With static breathing, the excruciating pain returned; it let out a blood-curdling scream, and fell to its knees. It hurt so bad.. It was so scared, it tried to force itself to 'sleep' again; but it couldn't. 

The Projectionist stayed there, shivering in the dark. All alone. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

..... 

"Ngh.. N-no.." 

.... 

" _J-Joey_ stop.." 

... 

"S-stop!" 

.. 

"AHHHHHHHH!" 

A young man woke up in a cold sweat, gasping and shaking with fright. He looked at his hands, before quickly running over to the mirror in his room. 

He looked _fine_.. shaken but fine. Was it just a nightmare? It felt so real.. 

He stared at himself a little longer, he had bags under his eyes and his hair was a complete mess. He held his forehead and sighed. "I think I'm starting to lose it.. aren't I?" 

"N-Normy? Are you okay I heard a scream.." A small voice spoke. 

He jumped in suprise and saw his little sister Wendy. She wore a red nightgown, and was holding a Bendy plush in one hand, while rubbing her eyes with the other. Norman realized he must have woken her up by accident.

"Oh.. Wendy, did I wake you? Dang.. I'm sorry." Her tired eyes already answered his question. 

"I know how to fix this." his hand towards the bed. "Sit here, I'll read you a bed time story." 

He grabbed a small book, from his desk; he kept it there, just in case Wendy has a bad dream. It was a book of fairy tales. Once Wendy was all snuggled in the bed, he began to read it to her. 

"Once upon a time. There was a little girl, with a red coat-" 

"Norman.. why did you scream?" Wendy asked suddenly, interrupting the story. 

"It was nothing Wendy, just a bad dream.. I'll be fine I promise." Norman gave her a small smile. "Now, let's get back to the story okay? You need your sleep." He ruffled her hair, making her giggle. 

"Okay, now where was I? Oh right." 

"Once upon a time.."


	2. Dysania.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Dysania** : " _The state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning_."
> 
> Norman doesn't want to wake up, Wendy threatens to get a water bucket. Lol xD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope I'm not making this story sound boring or stupid, but to be honest I didn't like how I ended this chapter, I rushed myself when I wrote it, I don't know why I just feel like I could've have made the chapter ending sound a bit more interesting. I tried my best though despite the rushing. I'll try to fix some problems later if I find any.

It was very early in the morning when the two siblings fell back asleep. Wendy cuddled her Bendy plush, while Norman tossed and turned a bit. It was already a tough night; but it seemed like those disturbing dreams weren't going to go away that easily.

Once morning arrived, Wendy decided to get up first; grabbing her sketch book and pencils. Drawing was her favourite thing to do when she was bored, other than watching the Bendy cartoon. She'd draw all the characters: Bendy, Boris, Alice, the Butcher gang, even the skeletons from ' _Tombstone Picnic_ '! 

Norman had a bit of a problem with over-sleeping. Wendy often had to wake him up, once she even had to throw a bucket of water at him just to wake Norman up! He couldn't sleep well after his nightmare, so he was up for several hours; until he passed out from exhaustion. 

Wendy walked into his room, to find him curled up in the blankets; she fought back a laugh, as she tried to shake him awake. "Normy get up, You'll be late for work!" He still didn't wake, frustrating her. 

"Norman if you don't wake up, I'll get the water bucket again!" With that statement, his eyes shot open. 

"Alright, alright! I'm up! Just don't splash me with that cold water again, I almost got hypothermia last time!" Wendy gave him a satisfied smile and sat on the carpet. "So.. when you're done work today, can you play with me? I get so bored playing by myself." 

"Work? Oh right, I almost forgot thanks for reminding me." He got out of bed, grabbing his coat and cap. "Sorry Wendy.. you know how late Joey Drew makes us work, besides Henry said he needed to talk to me at his office; about something important." 

Wendy looked down at the floor. "Oh okay.. can you promise to play with me when you get home?" He ruffled her hair again, giggling. "I promise.. only if you don't cause any trouble while I'm gone; I still remember how you tried to play chef, and almost burnt down the house!" 

Wendy pouted, throwing her Bendy plush at his face. He caught it in seconds, but seeing his sister's disappointed face caused him to drop to the floor, feigning an injury. 

"Oh no! I've been hit! Uh.. This is the end for me!" He joking grabbed her sleeve, pulling her forward. "Wendy.. t-tell Joey that.. he's nuts!" With that, he dramatically let go and laid still on the carpet. 

Wendy laughed very hard, trying to get him to stand back up; but he continued to play dead. "Norman, get up! I need you to make breakfast!" She walked closer until she realized her mistake. 

It was a trap! 

Norman sprang up with agility, pulling his sister into a hug; attempting to tickle her to death. She couldn't stop laughing. "Noooo! Anything but tickles! It's my one weakness!" She squirmed to get free; eventually Norman stopped and smiled gleefully. He had completely forgotten about that horrible dream. 

"Okay, okay. I'm done. Alright, breakfast time. Hmm.. I wonder what I should make?" He looked looked around the kitchen for awhile, things were hard to locate; because the place was very cluttered. Finally after about a minute of checking, he grabbed some eggs and started to make an omelette. 

Wendy was sitting at the table, she kicked her feet up and down in boredom. "Hey, Norman? What are your friends at work like?" 

"Oh you mean my coworkers? They're okay I guess.. Henry, Susie, and Wally are definitely the nicest of the bunch." He quickly set the omelettes on a big plate for the two of them to share. "There's also Sammy.. he's an okay fella but he's got a temper, and sometimes when the band is practicing he'll interrupt everyone. He messes with the projector in there, then he goes back to his office for a couple hours; it's just plain weird." 

The omelettes were steamy and hot, they tasted delicious! "Dang, I'm good! Heh maybe I should quit my job at the studio and start up a restaurant! Too bad I'm not filthy rich, it kinda sounds like a pretty good idea, to be honest." 

"Do your friends like your cooking?" Wendy complete cleaned her side of the plate, there wasn't even a trace of an omelette left. 

"No they've never tried it, maybe I should make something for them sometime. I bet Wally'll like it, but then again he'll eat pretty much anything! Norman and Wendy both laughed. "Joey probably won't eat anything I'll make though. The man's plain paranoid, I bet I'm the only one who noticed!" 

"Heck! I remember when I first met Joey Drew, he was actually a pretty swell guy. Although he was a bit sensitive, he was always worried people would judge him for being in that wheelchair of his."

Wendy flashed a look of concern. The only time she's seen someone in a wheelchair, was when Norman took her shopping for a new dress. The person was a veteran from World War I. Permanently unable to walk from whatever had wounded him. She didn't want to admit it, but people like that really scared her. 

"Why is Joey Drew in a wheelchair? Did he get hurt really bad?" Norman appeared to be puzzled. He had no idea why his boss was handicapped, he didn't ask because he thought it would be rude. "I actually don't know Wendy, he hates talking about it. I bet Henry knows though; they've been friends since they were three! At least that's what I've heard." 

\--------------------------------------------- 

The rest of breakfast was spent talking about the Bendy cartoon and which characters they liked best. Strangely they both ended up deciding that they liked Boris the best. After that Wendy helped clean the table, while Norman did the dishes. He was almost finished brushing his teeth when he heard a _knock_ at the door.

Wendy opened the door, to see Henry standing outside. He wore a lime green shirt, a brown scarf, his red hair was messy as usual; and he was currently cleaning his glasses. 

"Hey Wendy! Is Norman home?" Wendy wondered why he was here. Didn't Norman say he was going to meet up with him? "Yeah he's here. Just wait a second." 

After a few seconds, Wendy dragged her brother out the door. He was apparently sneaking several cookies into his bag; when Wendy dragged him out the door. His bag had cookie crumbs all over it, causing Henry to laugh. 

"Wow, and I thought I had a sweet tooth! Norman you're going to let me have some of those cookies right?" Norman gave him two thumbs up, making Henry get excited. 

Henry always had a problem with sweets, his all-time favourite food was black-forest cake; and Norman once saw him try to stuff one into his desk, for later. 

' _It's a miracle that he doesn't seem to gain weight_..' 

"Henry I thought you wanted me to meet you at your office later? What are you doing here?" Henry started fidgeting with his tie, he was known to do that when he got nervous or anxious. 

"Well at first I was just going to talk to you about what we should get for Susie's surprise birthday party, but then something crazy happened at the studio! I don't know how, but the music room is in a state of total chaos! Sammy's freaking out; we better go help. Joey's trying to calm everyone down but it's not working too well." Norman looked at his sister and then over to Henry. 

"Okay, sorry Wendy; I've gotta run, I'll see you at dinner. Bye!" 

Norman and Henry both ran to the studio. Norman wondered what had happened in the music room, and why did Sammy freak out? He figured it couldn't be that bad, maybe Wally accidentally knocked over some ink on one of Sammy's music sheets? 

Either way, he's about to find out; and it's going to completely blow him away.


	3. Foresight.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sammy is freaking out over the music room, while Norman sees something he wasn't supposed to see.
> 
> I also wanted to name this chapter: "Sammy's Ice Problem." xD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I really rushed the end, and I'm so sorry.. I'll try to fix it later if I find problems. (Which I most-likely will..) 
> 
> So I apologize for the endings poor quality, not only did I rush it; but I also had, and still have a huge headache.. (I get them almost all the time.. I know for a fact that I get horrible headaches at least two to three times a day.)

" **JOEY**!" 

Sammy had been working late at the studio, making some new songs; when he accidentally fell asleep. When Sammy woke up, in his office the next morning; he screamed at what he saw. 

_Icicles_ were attached to the ceiling, _frost_ was all over the desk stopping near his fingertips, patches of _ice_ covered the floor, and small specks of _snow_ covered his hair. What in the world happened while he was asleep?!

Joey, who just so happened to be near Sammy's office at the time; wheeled in with an expressionless look on his face. "What's bugging you this time Sammy-" Joey froze taking in the sight before him. 

Sammy's office looked like a winter wonderland! It was beautiful, with the snow and ice covering the walls and floor. If Joey could stand; he'd be jumping for joy! 

At that same minute Norman and Henry burst into the room. "Henry are you sure it wasn't just Wally?- WOAH!" Norman stopped short, in awe of the frozen wonderland in Sammy's office. 

"Will someone please explain to me, what the heck is going on here?!" Sammy glared at Joey, who was grinning madly. Joey hadn't looked this excited since the first Bendy episode aired on television! 

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy, this is none of your concern. I'm sure Wally can clean this up! For now just enjoy the _scenery_." 

Sammy looked absolutely flustered as he tried to argue with Joey Drew, he figured that if Joey was behind this somehow; there was no telling what the man could do next. Joey turned around to face Henry and Norman, who were standing in the doorway. "Ah, there you two are; I'm glad you're not late.. Norman; did your sister wake you up with the water bucket again?" 

Norman gave him an irritated look. "Now I don't mean to sound rude Joey, but do I look like I'm soaking?" Joey really was an _odd_ fellow. 

"Well I guess not then.. Henry can I talk to you in the hall for a moment, please?" Henry nodded and walked out with Joey, as he wheeled out of the room. Norman happened to glance at Joey while he wheeled past, for a split second Joey had a hungry look in his eyes; and his brown eyes, almost gleamed _blood_ red. 

Must be a trick of the light. 

Joey turned around for a second, and looked at Norman with a smirk. "Oh I almost forgot.. Norman could you please go talk to Wally? He needs your help with something." He wheeled away, yet he paused once more. "Oh and one more thing.. I know how much you like exploring, but please don't go looking for trouble; I'd hate to see one of my employees get _hurt_.." Wait.. was Joey threatening him? 

Suddenly a memory resurfaced in his mind; the memory of a dream.. a _nightmare_. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

He remembered lying on something cold, hard, and smooth. Straps of leather seemed to be holding him in place, a wicked laugh rang in his ears. It was dark, he couldn't see who was laughing. 

"Oh Norman.. I told you not to go looking for trouble.. and what do I find? YOU doing exactly the opposite!" The man who was most-likely Joey; seemed to be holding an odd kind of _saw_ , a broken _**projector**_ lay on a stained table nearby. 

"Believe me when I say that I don't want to do this.. trust me I mean it! I know your parents died from T.B, and that your sister needs you; but I just _can't_ have you telling everyone what you saw! Especially Henry. 

What was Joey talking about? Norman couldn't remember, not even the faintest clue. 

Joey sat on a stool nearby.. his wheelchair was nowhere in sight. He **could** walk! 

"Hmm.. I wonder what you'd miss more, your sister? Or a proper _**head**_ on your shoulders..?" Norman helplessly struggled on the table, the leather straps were too tight; and his mouth was gagged so he couldn't scream for help. Norman could only watch as Joey got up from his seat, and walked towards him; saw gripped firmly. 

' _Oh my god.. he's going to kill me_!' 

"Now don't give me that look! Besides, you deserve this! You were always too _clever_ for your own good.." Joey started to rummage through his pockets, pulling out a small cloth. It reeked of chemicals. 

Joey was going to chloroform him. "I heard that you had a good pair of eyes.. something about you being able to 'sees' everything? Heh; don't worry Norman, I'll make sure you can still see by the time this is over.." He grinned maliciously, and this time he knew he wasn't imagining things. Joey's eyes gleamed with red, as he laughed coldly.. 

"I just hope you'll still have enough sanity to appreciate the one _sense_ I'm leaving you!" 

\-------------------------------------------- 

Screams began to ring in Norman's ears as he leaned against a wall, his breathing hardened, as though he was struggling for air. Until someone started to shake him slightly. 

"Norman, Are you okay? You really don't look so good.." Henry stopped shaking his friend, and waited for an answer. 

Norman looked at Henry, he never noticed him come back into the room. "W-what? Oh yeah I'm fine, don't worry about it.." Norman didn't like lying to Henry, after all they're just _dreams_ right? 

Norman remembered what his mother used to tell him when he was little: "Dreams can't hurt you.. Despite how awful they can be. Just live in present and forget the _nightmares_.." 

His mother told him that, after he had a nightmare about his parents contracting T.B. 

They died a month later.. Norman had to take care of Wendy ever since. His parents cause of death, was from T.B; the exact thing he dreamt about. 

He tried so hard to forget about those bad memories. Norman got pretty good at blocking them out, but now.. the memories hit him with the force of a train. He began to think more about his nightmares. Norman didn't believe in psychic abilities, but his dreams always seemed to tell him something.

Norman's thoughts were interrupted once again as Henry snapped his fingers at him. "Norman.. are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should go back home.. I'll make sure Joey will understand." 

"But Joey wanted me to help Wally with something-" Henry cut him off and walk him to the exit. "Don't worry about it! I can figure something out.. Just go get some rest, you look like you're going to be sick.." 

To be honest, Norman did feel sick. That flashback to a nightmare, made him want to vomit. He even felt sort feverish. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Despite Sammy's iced-up office. (Which Norman, Henry, and Sammy still didn't understand.) 

"Y-You're right.. I don't feel good. I should go home.." Henry gave him a look of deep concern. He always was a very caring person, a bit too much at times. Henry sometimes forgot to take care of himself, because of it. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

"Norman you're back early!" Wendy had just finished drawing, when Norman entered the house. Wendy ran over and pulled him into a hug, squeezing her brother with joy. Until she noticed his odd expressionless behaviour. 

His face was darkened, he had a far-away look in his eyes. He felt cold, like he'd been walking around in frigid rain. Norman began to cry, he looked so tired. What happened at work to make him this upset? 

"Norman? Why are you crying?! Hey, hey, it's okay! Brother look at me!" Norman looked his little sister in the eyes, sobbing with tears streaming down his face. 

"W-Wendy.. I think I'm going crazy.." He let go of his sister and covered his eyes in shame. "I keep having these horrible dreams.." 

Scenes of mutilation flashed before his eyes, he screamed and backed away clutching his head in agony. It burned with phantom pain. Wendy watched her brother in fear, as he cried out. "Wendy! G-get away!" 

"Norman you're scaring me! What are you talking about!" She did as he asked and stepped away. Norman started to breath as though he was gasping for air, until he suddenly passed out on the floor. 

"NORMAN!" Wendy immediately went back over and hugged him again, she felt his forehead. Norman was burning up. "No, no, no! Please don't be sick! You're all I have!" 

Meanwhile in the depths of her brothers mind. There was only one single thought, completely filled with absolute panic. 

' _What is happening to me_..?'


	4. Helpful Little Sister.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Norman caught a bad cold, from the stress of his nightmares. Wendy has to take care of him. He has another panic attack.
> 
> Sorry if this chapter is stupid, I really rushed this one. If I find any problems, I'll try to fix them later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made an ask-blog for the characters of my AU, if anyone wants to ask them a question. Feel free to do so. :D
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/askthesaudadecharactersbatimau

_Crash_.

A couple dishes fell to the ground as Wendy tried to grab a plate; from a very high cabinet. She winced at the noise, Norman was sure to hear that. 

"Wendy.. what was that?" Norman asked loudly from his bedroom. He felt strangely sick from the night before. He'd been in bed all day. 

"N-Nothing Norman!" Wendy grabbed some cookies and put them on an undamaged plate, rushing into his room.

Norman was under the blankets, only his hair was visible. Wendy giggled, as she shook him awake. 

"W-what..? Wendy I'm trying to sleep." His little sister put the cookies right next to him. "I brought you some cookies, and if you don't eat them right now, then I'm going to eat them all." 

"Ugh.. fine, I'll have the cookies. Just please try not to make any messes while I'm sleeping.." Wendy thought about the mess she already made in kitchen. 

' _Uh oh_..'

"I-I promise to keep the house clean Norman! Uh.. I just need to go do something real quick!" Wendy rushed into the kitchen, so she could clean up the mess. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

Norman stayed in bed, his head hurt badly. He didn't feel hungry so he put the plate of cookies on his bedside table. Needing water, Norman walked into the kitchen. 

It look a bit messy, Wendy must have tried to clean it up. Norman grabbed a cup from the cupboard. He was about to fill it with with water, before a horrible pain _filled_ his mind. 

' _I wonder what you'd miss more. Your little sister? Or a proper **head** on your shoulders?_ ' 

His grip hardened on the glass, causing it to _shatter_. The shards cutting him in the process. He cried out in pain. 

Wendy heard the glass shatter and came running into the room, "Norman! What happened?!" Norman was sitting up against the wall shaking. His hands were bleeding.

"N-Normy you're bleeding! Are you okay?!" He started to rock back and forth. Wendy ran to a nearby closet, grabbing some bandages. "Norman hold still!" 

Norman stopped shaking and let his sister wrap his hands in the bandages "W-Wendy I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Wendy hated seeing her brother upset. Seeing him bleed however? That was much worse. 

Wendy hugged him tightly. "There's nothing to apologize for! You're sick Normy.. just go back to bed." Norman got up, and frowned at the mess he made. Glass was all over the floor. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

Wendy and Norman were sitting at the dinner table, Norman had some tea to help calm him down. Wendy just had a glass of milk. 

"Wendy.. I am so, so, sorry for what happened earlier.. God, I must have scared you to death.." Wendy got up from her chair and gave him another hug. 

"You did scare me.. but I'm glad that you're okay. Norman what's bothering you so much?" He didn't know what to say.. she would never believe him. 

Insane Asylums were getting very popular around the world, and Norman didn't want to be sent to one of those, if someone found out about the way he'd been acting. 

"Wendy, I'm feeling better now.. I promise I won't scare you like that ever again." He ruffled her hair, and walked towards his room. "Tomorrow, I'm going to make it up to you! Let's do something fun, whatever you want." 

Wendy started jumping up and down. "Really? Yay! I think it's going to snow tomorrow, so let's have a snowball fight!" 

"That sounds great, now I think we both had a rough day.. how about we share the rest of the cookies?" 

Wendy gleefully followed after her brother, as they both walked out of the room. Oblivious to the fact that Norman's dreams were becoming more powerful. 

He has to realize that before it's too late, because soon his _nightmares_ will become a _**reality**_..


End file.
